Preview: Haye v Bellew
- Dean Wigzell
- Feb 16, 2017
- 4 min read
David Haye v Tony Bellew is a fight that has landed on a packed 2017 schedule somewhat out of the blue. London’s o2 Arena will play host to this apparent mismatch on March 4th with WBC Cruiserweight champion Bellew stepping up to Heavyweight to take on former two time world champion Haye.
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Whilst Bellew has been establishing himself as a fully-fledged top level Cruiserweight since stepping up from Light-Heavy in 2014, Haye has been making a questionable comeback at Heavyweight after some time away from the ring. It seems that it is this comeback of Haye’s that has led to Bellew’s desire to step up to Heavyweight and take on the man he has labelled ‘The Bitch from Bermondsey’.
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In his most recent fight Bellew stopped American, and one of Haye’s closest friends, BJ Flores inside 3 rounds before launching a tirade at Haye who had been ingeniously placed at ringside by Sky Sports.
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Liverpool’s Bellew believes that David Haye’s comeback, which until now has been screened on Freeview channel Dave, has simply been a means of conning the British public into paying off Haye’s reported debts.
Haye insists that he’s comeback, which has so far consisted of knock out victories over Mark De Mori and Arnold Gjergjaj, is perfectly tailored to his planned return to the top of the Heavyweight tree. Whether or not the quality of opposition so far has led to that is a question that man, Bellew included, feel they have the answer to.
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What is clear is that both men seem to have the ability to get under the other ones skin. At the first press conference Haye set about insulting both Bellew and his promoter Eddie Hearn claiming that he would ‘end Matchroom (Hearn’s promotional company)’ before landing what appeared to be a left hook on Bellew after a coming together between the two men.
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Bellew on the other hand took offence to Haye’s insistence that he would be leaving the o2 on a stretcher particularly when both men witnessed Luke Blackledge require medical treatment after a brutal knockout by Callum Smith. Bellew claimed that Haye kept making gestures to him during the events and Bellew was heard screaming ‘there is nothing good about that you knob’ along with several other expletives.
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All of this drama has lent itself nicely to a brilliantly executed promotion so far, Sky Sports, Matchroom Boxing and both fighters have contributed beautifully to hyping up what on paper is a fight that shouldn’t even be happening.
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But enough about the drama, what about the fight itself?
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Bellew, has never fought professionally at Heavyweight but has always claimed that he is a big Cruiserweight. Haye, was undisputed Cruiserweight champion before becoming WBA Heavyweight champion.
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Both men are recognised for possessing knockout punches, 18 of Bellew’s 28 wins have come by way of stoppage in comparison to Haye’s 26 out of 28. Many feel that comparison is enough to make Haye the favourite, which coupled with his athleticism and fitness you would assume would be enough to see him through.
However and maybe I am a victim of the hype train but you can’t ignore Bellew, since moving up to Cruiserweight he would appear to pack much more of a punch than he did at Light-Heavy and with all of his fights at the heavier weight (apart from two points wins against Cleverley and Masternak) ending with a stoppage maybe he does have the power to stop Haye, who hasn’t had his chin or stamina tested in a number of years.
Of course physically the two fighters are made of completely different materials; one is a ripped athletic type and the other a self-confessed ‘skinny fat kid’ but I do believe that on the night it will come down to more than just physicality and game plans, both fighters will have to bare their souls in that ring on March 4th.
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If Bellew comes out victorious, I wouldn’t want to see him stay at Heavyweight and chase other previously mentioned fights against the likes of Anthony Joshua- I think that would be a terrible decision. A win over Haye, however would increase his profile tenfold and he would be given the opportunity to take on the biggest fights in the Cruiserweight division with the view to unifying the decision.
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Haye on the other hand, should he be victorious, will be in a position to use a boost in his profile and credentials to chase serious heavyweight contests against the likes of Parker, Wilder and Joshua. Haye will believe that this fight will be the real kick-start to his comeback and he could very well be right.
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This may very well be the most over hyped mismatch we have seen in a long time, but don’t tell me you won’t be tuning in to not just the fight, but the build-up too!
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